Better Judgment
by Purple Lace
Summary: Archie is trying to muster up enough courage to ask Atlanta out, even Jay and the other guys are trying to help him, AxA, one shot


A/N: Ok, I'm back and ready to do some more writing. Now, I realize that Romeo and Juliet is unfinished but because of the new school year I plan to be writing one or two one shots just because they take less time to write while not getting people pissed off because of a story that is not updated frequently. I WILL be updating Romeo and Juliet as soon as I can get my head back in the plot.

Disclaimer: I do not own Class of the Titans

"Come on Arch, what's the worst that could happen?" Herry said trying to encourage him. "She could reject me, I'd feel humiliated, not to mention she'd probably tease me for life" Archie responded. The guys where trying to persuade Archie to finally ask out Atlanta, but they found it a much harder task than they had imagined. "Come on Archie, we believe in you" Jay was trying to encourage his purple haired friend with little success "Come on, how many times have you wondered how she felt about you? And out of that, how many times has it bugged the hell out of you?" Jay seemed to be making progress at this point. Archie had lifted his head to look at his friends as if really thinking about the question Jay had just asked him.

It was true he had spent many restless nights thinking about his feelings towards his best friend and she felt the same way. He had practiced asking her out in front of the mirror in his bedroom (he found it not wise to practice at school to his mirror in his locker after the last incident when Jay and the other had snuck up behind him, they where still making small jokes about it). He would imagine his friend's response. _I'd love to go out with you Archie_ or _That sound awesome_

"Maybe your right" Archie muttered

"You know it" Odie chimed in

"You know what?" Archie stated "I'm gonna ask her out as soon as I see her"

"Here's your chance" Neil snickered

Archie suddenly remembered why he had put it off so long in the first place. His palms where rapidly becoming clammy and his throat began to dry. He knew he couldn't back down now, not unless he wanted the guy to laugh at him, he would never live it down. He slowly stepped towards Atlanta who was advancing to her locker. He took another step, and then another. By walking slowly he was only postponing what he knew was the inevitable. As she closed her locker he leaned up against the locker next to hers.

"Hey Arch" Atlanta exclaimed gleefully. He loved the way she smiled at him, it was different somehow than the way she smiled at the others, as thought he was special to her in some way.

"Hey Atlanta, um...I was wondering...would you, I dunno...wanna go out some time?" _Their_ it was finally out in the open, now this was the part where her smile widened and she agreed happily, but instead he noticed that her smile was quickly fading.

"You mean like on a date?" she asked with uncertainty in her voice

"Well, yah" Archie stammered

"Oh, um, I'm sorry, I just...don't think that would work out" she turned and walked away but it wasn't with the bounce the she had just moments ago.

"What just happened?" Archie asked as the rest came to ask the same thing.

The rest of the school day was painful in a way for Archie, he couldn't get what Atlanta had said to him out of his mind _I just...don't think that would work out_. He felt a pain in his heart every time it rang in his head. At lunch he didn't take the seat next to her as he normally did when the met up for lunch at their usual table. Their wasn't the usual laughter that came from their table as it did every other lunch hour, in fact besides from a _see you later_ at the end from Theresa to Atlanta, it was dead silent.

Dinner at the Brownstone was much the same. Athena felt the urge to ask what was going on but thought better of it. They still watched their customary hour of TV afterwards. This time laughter was heard and words exchanged, but not a peep was herd from neither Archie nor Atlanta.

When everyone was in bed and presumed asleep, Archie was still up. He couldn't get the scene from earlier on that morning out of his mind, no matter how hard he tried to shake it. He couldn't take it anymore, he was going to drive himself to the insane asylum if he waited any longer he figured.

He crept out of bed and down the hall and stood in front of Atlanta's door. He took a deep breath and knocked gently on the door. He herd footsteps coming towards the door and then saw the door open cracks as to let the person behind the door see whom it was.

"Archie, hey what are you doing up?" A sleepy Atlanta whispered opening her bedroom door to welcome her guest.

"I've got to know, why?" he asked, there was pleading and hurt in his eyes "Why wouldn't it work?"

"Because," she thought for a couple of seconds on how she was going to answer "the whole is more important that two parts" she thought a bit longer to find the perfect words for what she had to say "most people who date break-up. We might end up hating each other, the team could break up because of it, and honestly, I wouldn't want to risk the friendship we have. And for what? A month or two of making out and exchanging gushy love notes in class? It's not worth it" At this point she was holding on to his shoulders as if trying to drill this into his head "it's not worth" she whispered again.

Archie pulled her in closer and kissed her right they're on the spot. He could feel her kissing back; it was moment that was indescribable to him. She pulled away.

"I can't," she whispered "I can't do it" she walked up and opened the door silently saying it was time for him to go.

He felt a little better, not a lot but a little, enough to help him to sleep.

Atlanta was putting her books into her locker the next morning when she looked back at Archie who was on the opposite side of the hall putting things into his own locker. She almost started to cry, and it wasn't because she regretted what she had said to him last night or because she knew that she had hurt her best friend deeply, it was because she felt restrained be her better judgment not to tell Archie 'yes, I'd love to go out with you'.


End file.
